who poses the biggest threat to poatan at 205?

[thewhiterooster]

anything can happen in a fight, and upsets do happen. but looking at the current landscape at 205, who do you think has the best chance of beating Alex pereira? there seems to be no wrestling/ground specialists in the top 15 at lhw. blachowicz and ankalaev have some decent ground skills, but ultimately there's nothing close to a 205 version of islam in the ufc. most people believe poatan would be considered the favorite in any stand up fight, and I agree. that being said, who has the best chance to dethrone him at lhw? hmmmmm

 

[Davidjacksonjones]

Ank imo

 

[RockyLockridge]

Jiri. then Ank.

 

[thewhiterooster]

Ank imo

you could be right. I'd still favor pereira, but ankalaev may have the best shot. he's damn well rounded.

 

[Davidjacksonjones]

you could be right. I'd still favor pereira, but ankalaev may have the best shot. he's damn well rounded.

For me it's a 50 50 fight
If Alex is able to stuff the takedowns and keeps it standing he will probably sleep him
If Ank is able to take him down, he could possibly finish him or grind out a decision
It's hard to know where Alex is at in terms of grappling ability

 

[kingmob6]

Conor for sure

 

[jeff7b9]

The problem is, the guy everyone is going to say has 1 win in his last 3 and it is over Johnny Walker, ranked #7.

Not exactly a run that screams "title shot."

 

[Gladiator24]

Ankalaev which is why they’ll never match him with him

 

[thewhiterooster]

Ankalaev which is why they’ll never match him with him

would you FAVOR ankalaev?, or do you just think out of everyone, he'd have the best chance?

 

[filthybliss]

Jiri. then Ank.

none of those striker-dominant guys are beating poatan, johnny walker might have a better chance than jiri just due to sheer retarded unpredictability. in order to beat poatan, they need a substantative wrasslin base to take him imo, otherwise they are just gonna end up like Hill.

 

[thewhiterooster]

I'm sure people will give me crap for this, but I think if Cumshot bulked up to 205 has a better chance than any of the current 205-ers

 

[RockyLockridge]

none of those striker-dominant guys are beating poatan, johnny walker might have a better chance than jiri just due to sheer retarded unpredictability. in order to beat poatan, they need a substantative wrasslin base to take him imo, otherwise they are just gonna end up like Hill.

Oh I definately think Jiri can make it a fight where Poatan is forced to react and make mistakes.

 

[jeff7b9]

Oh I definately think Jiri can make it a fight where Poatan is forced to react and make mistakes.

The problem with that is each guys margin of error...

Jiri is good in chaos. No argument there.

But he will leave openings Poatan could parralell park a Boeing 747 in.

Alex could get caught but he has better striking instincts, better defense (not infallible) and way more striking accuracy.

 

[RockyLockridge]

The problem with that is each guys margin of error...

Jiri is good in chaos. No argument there.

But he will leave openings Poatan could parralell park a Boeing 747 in.

Alex could get caught but he has better striking instincts, better defense (not infallible) and way more striking accuracy.

Right but in parking that 747, poatan will have to take risks to do it. That's when the fight begins.

 

[jeff7b9]

Right but in parking that 747, poatan will have to take risks to do it. That's when the fight begins.

I love Jiri but he seems keen to get in a shoot out with a better shooter with a better gun.

I haven't seen a lot of people accuse Jiri of fighting smart.

 

[CatchtheseHands]

Ankalev because of the wrestling threat but the problem with Ank though is his fight IQ is suspect and I could see him trying to strike with Alex and getting slept before he even thinks about trying to wrestle. Kind of like what happened with his fight with Jan. It took 3 rounds of his leg getting chopped off before he realized he should probably wrestle or he's going to lose. Except he won't get that chance with Alex if he doesn't wrestle right away and will end up taking a nap before that realization.

 

[RockyLockridge]

I haven't seen a lot of people accuse Jiri of fighting smart.

He fight good doe.

 

[World eater]

Well, I will certainly keep my fingers crossed for that Hail Mary punch from Jiri. Love Alex, but Jiri is a comic book character come to life, got to appreciate that.

P.S.
Probably Ank though.

 

[Gladiator24]

would you FAVOR ankalaev?, or do you just think out of everyone, he'd have the best chance?

Ankalaev mauls him

 

[ferrisjso]

Lady luck. When she turns against him hes done.